1. Field of The Invention
A vehicular ladder rack to movably support a ladder thereon for use on a van or similar vehicle.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
It is common to transport ladders on vehicles such as vans and pickup trucks. Generally positioning ladders atop of such vehicles is awkward. In addition, retaining the ladder stationary during travel is difficult. For example, one end of the ladder at a time is ordinarily placed on the rack. Maintaining the first end in place while positioning the other end of the ladder into place may be a problem. Once the ladder is atop of the rack it is ordinarily free to move about producing objectionable noises and causing abrasive wear on the ladder and the rack. Moreover the ladder may become detached from the rack and fall to the ground. Accordingly, a simplified rack is needed that will facilitate mounting the ladders on top of vehicles and then secure the ladder in place to prevent movement and abrasive wear during transport but be easy to remove as desired.
U.S Pat. No. 3,013,681 discloses a device for storing an elongated article on a vehicle comprising a rack with a plurality of arms pivotally connected along an upper portion of the vehicle. The arms are movable about a horizontal axis and extend outwardly at substantially right angles to the length of the vehicle during movement between a down position and upright position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,058,607 teaches a ladder rack for a vehicle comprising ladder-holding members, a pair of links pivotally attached to the vehicle in coaxial relation to each other at opposite ends thereof. A torque element is provided to transmit a turning force.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,963,136 shows a retractable ladder rack for use on the top of vehicles. The rack has one or more channel members which can be attached to the roof of the vehicle. The rack can slide along the channel members to a lower position to facilitate the loading and unloading of a ladder or similar object.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,331 discloses a ladder rack mounted on top of a vehicle including upstanding guide stops to hold one end of a ladder while the other end is being pivoted onto the rack.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,834 teaches a vehicle rack comprising a releasable clamping device for releasably clamping a ladder thereto. The clamping device includes a clamp arm which is pivoted to a rigid support and operated by a crank mechanism by moving across a dead-center position to secure the ladder in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,390,117 discloses a ladder rack for a vehicle roof comprising clamps for releasable attachment to the roof of a vehicle. A subframe carries front and rear ladder support assemblies each comprising transverse rollers for engaging the stringers of a ladder spanning the two assemblies.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,387 teaches a carrier which can be extended and retracted relative to the rack and hinged to facilitate loading and unloading of the material carried by the rack.